India vs England, second Test, Day Two: The Cook and Pietersen show puts England in control after India score 327

The third day will be interesting, especially in the morning, which will decide whether England implode and suffer a collapse or manage to hold their nerves and surpass India's total and take a decent lead.

Cook and Pietersen have batted throughout the evening and England, although still a long way behind, are in good shape. More of this discipline and determination can actually get them ahead tomorrow. India didn't particularly bowl badly but for all their effort, the desired result just didn't come.

And so, this contest still remains an even contest, though the momentum has been, very slightly, moving either way through the day. India managed 327, a score considered good enough on this wicket, but that was before Alastair Cook and Nick Compton came out to bat, determined not to have another batting collapse like in Ahmedabad. They managed that too, with a 66 run partnership before Ojha struck with two quick wickets. That put the ball back in India's court, but only just. And then Pietersen came out, suspect against left-arm spin and under pressure to score, and managed nicely to get to an unbeaten 62 and putting on 110 with Cook.

End of day's play

Over 65: England 178/2; Cook 87, Pietersen 62Last over of the day and Harbhajan gets to bowl it. Back of a length and Cook cuts into Sehwag's boot, it did carry but Sehwag was not too alert, almost wishing for the day to end, and it went between his legs for two runs. That's the end of the day's play, and England have nicely managed to take control here after those two quick wickets post lunch.

Over 64: England 176/2; Cook 85, Pietersen 62Ojha is back, and it's a maiden. Pietersen blocks with his bat, pad and long strides ahead to stay safe.

There's still 15 minutes to go and the minimum overs requred today are almost up. A wicket here will be a welcome bonus for India, with Cook and Pietersen settling nicely and the scoring rate cruising along.

Over 60: England 165/2; Cook 83, Pietersen 53Harbhajan comes on from the other end, and Pietersen blocks it with solid defence. The lone loose ball of the over is flicked through midwicket for a single.

Is it just me or are there others wondering why Dhoni hasn't thrown the ball to Yuvraj the whole day today? He can well be a handful with the ball and, with Pietersen batting as well as he is, and settling nicely in this innings and this partnership, it would be interesting if Yuvraj was to come into the play. Just for a little, interesting change.

Over 56: England 159/2; Cook 79, Pietersen 51Pietersen sends the ball through the covers for four to bring up his 50, and maybe this was the much-needed boost to break free of his mental block against left-arm spin. He has managed to tackle Ojha nicely here, a little cautious but he has managed that 50 without any major incident, and that should count for something.

Over 54: England 147/2; Cook 73, Pietersen 45Ashwin continues, having changed ends. Pietersen celebrates by reverse sweeping the first delivery for a single, and the only other run from the over involved Cook playing a remarkably similar shot to exactly the same spot, only for him it was a non-reverse sweep. The penultimate ball flicks Pietersen's pad and loops up to leg slip, leading to loud appeals, but the bat was nowhere near it.

Over 47: England 124/2; Cook 59, Pietersen 36Ashwin bowls a loose ball, high and wide, and Cook slaps it through long on for four.

Over 46: England 120/2; Cook 55, Pietersen 36Ojha finds Pietersen's edge and the ball bounces a foot short of slip. Cook gets his 50, and well-deserved. England have also crossed the 100 mark.

Over 40: England 94/2; Cook 47, Pietersen 18Another sweep from Cook, and more pain for the man at silly point â€“ this one thwacked Rahane full on his butt. Two balls later, another sweep just about misses his again and goes for a single. Pujara meanwhile is still recuperating from that earlier blow, and at this rate, India will either be struggling to find players to field at this position or worry about having their playing XI in place for the second innings!

Over 38: England 86/2; Cook 44, Pietersen 13The highlight of Ojha's over is another sweep from Cook, which goes for a single. It's not a good day to be fielding at silly point, as Pujara has already discovered, but this one goes over the fielder's shoulder.

Over 37: England 85/2; Cook 43, Pietersen 13After giving himself a few balls to play himself in, Pietersen drives through cover for four and then boshes the next ball over mid on for another.

Pietersen survives Ojha and it's tea. England were looking to get some kind of momentum but those two wickets from Ojha have reverted this to an even contest. Cook, as expected, has been England's best batsman so far, nearing his half century.

That's been a rapid turnaround of fortunes. Ten minutes to play till tea and just when Cook and Compton were beginning to settle down nicely, come along Ojha and suddenly it's two wickets down. The last few overs have changed the mood of the Indian team. England still have to negotiate five more minutes till tea but, more importantly, Pietersen has to face a couple of overs minutes of left-arm spin from Ojha. This will be interesting.

Wicket: Trott lbw b Ojha 0

Over 34: England 68/2; Cook 39Ojha strikes again. That's two wickets in two overs, and this one is plumb. Trott on his backfoot, misses the length ball and he's gone. Pietersen will be the new batsman in, and given his struggle with left-arm spin, it will be an interesting battle.

Wicket: Compton c Sehwag b Ojha 29

Over 32: England 66/1; Cook 37, Trott 0Ojha strikes. The Indian spinners have been trying for a while now to get that edge to a fielder and Ojha finally does it. Tosses one up high, pitches it full, almost yorker length, on the leg, turns and takes leading edge in front of off and lands in Sehwag's hands at slip. Jonathan Trott walks in. Wicket maiden for Ojha.

With more than 400 wickets, being the third spinner in the side and not getting the ball till the 25th over is quite a downfall for the veteran off-spinner. But Harbhajan has sprung back after being written off before.

Over 29: England 65/0; Cook 371, Compton 28Harbhajan continues to bowl around the wicket. Bowls a quicker one to Cook, going back gets a leading edge that rises into the air on off side but over the close-in fielders and short of those coming in.

Pujara is down at short leg, hit on his ribs with a full-bodied shot from Alastair Cook. Tried to sweep Ashwin away but finds Pujara and the youngster has walked out for treatment. Bad, both for Pujara and the Indian batting.

Over 25: England 53/0; Cook 31, Compton 22And now Harbhajan comes on, it's his first Test over in more than 14 months. He's almost a local favourite here, being part of the Mumbai Indians all through in the IPL. Just a single off the over, a mix of shorter and fuller balls from Harbhajan.

Over 22: England 49/0; Cook 29, Compton 20A maiden from Ashwin to Cook. Full ball, full ball, full ball, full ball, full ball, floated up and straighet. That's the order of Ashwin's deliveries in this over, and they all met with the same stubborn response from Cook -- forward block for the first five, a srive to mid-off for the last.

The ball isn't spinning, and Ashwin and Ojha are desperate for a wicket, trying all variations of length and line to get one. But the pitch isn't as helpful as it appeared to be, though the bounce is still there. Interesting, this match is turning out to be. England seem not bothered by the run rate, but this session would probably be the best for batting, so they ought to make the most of it. The return of Zaheer and possibly introduction on Harbhajan in the final session will be assisted by swing.

Meanwhile, Cook's six off Ojha early on was only his sixth in 85 Tests. That's one more than VVS Laxman hit in his entire career.

Over 18: England 40/0; Cook 25, Compton 15Ashwin induces an edge from Compton but the ball falls short of a diving Sehwag at slip, racing away to the boundary. Ashwin's been tossing it up and Compton's forward push gets the ball on his body. Harbhajan is yet to get a bowl though.

Over 14: England 28/0; Cook 17, Compton 11England finally get a boundary. Ashwin is back to bowling and and Cook cuts it through third man. Ashwin has been bowling fuller round the wicket, giving it width.

Cricinfo says this is the first time since 1967 that two spinners have opened the bowling in a Test against England. It also informs that England needed three runs to win that match, against Pakistan, and Geoffrey Boycott and Colin Cowdrey took 2.1 overs to achieve that. Trivia, with nothing to do with this match or this situation.

Over 9: England 16/0; Cook 8, Compton 8Khan bowls another maiden, this time to Cook, and his fuller deliveries outside off are left all alone. Zaheer is testing the batsmen with his line, Cook and Compton are happy not playing anything that can pass the stumps safely, and does the quiet suggest a long haul ahead? or is it the quietitude before the collapse? Not sure.

Over 5: England 7/0; Cook 4, Compton 3The teams are back after lunch, and since the ball didn't really grip for the spinners before lunch, Zaheer Khan comes on to replace Ashwin. Starts to Nick Compton, who edges the last ball of the over a fraction short of second slip. A safe maiden to start with post lunch, but it won't be same for long.

The ball is turning and bouncing, Ashwin and Ojha have set the ball rolling and there is Harbhajan lurking behind to get his hands on the ball. The Art of Relentless Appealing will be practiced all over again, just as it has been all through this series so far. Interesting contest ahead.

Lunch

Over 4: England 7/0; Cook 4, Compton 3England see off the first few overs without any incident, and that's lunch. Ojha and Ashwin started the bowling (what a surprise!) and Cook and Compton did not apepar in any hurry to get any runs before the lunch. After lunch, though, will be a different game, and fun to watch.

India are already out, and Ashwin will begin bowling. Cook and Compton to open batting for England.

Innings break

Pujara finally gets an out against his name, after 1015 minutes, 790 balls and 382 runs, in this series. That's astonishing for a 240year-old playing only his seventh Test.

Swann finishes with four wickets in the innings, Panesar five. Most importantly, they finally have managed to dismiss Pujara, and Swann would cherish this particular wicket for a long time. India finish for 327, a good enough score on this pitch and three spinners ready to rock and roll for India.

Wicket: Zaheer c bairstow b Swann 11

Over 115.1: India 327; Ojha 0 not outAnd that's the end. Zaheer Khan's little cameo at the end of the innings brought off 10 quick runs with a four and a massive six but that's all the tail's managed. Umpire Aleem Dar takes a long time before raising the finger, giving out bat-pad at short leg. Replays show the bat was nowhere near the pad, but the decision is made and India are all out.

Wicket: Pujara st Prior b Swann 135

Over 114: India 316/9; Zaheer 0, Ojha 0It finally happens. The wicket that hasn't fallen yet falls. Graeme Swann completes his 200 wickets, and follows it up with Pujara's wicket in his next over with a wide flighted delivery. Pujara is beaten in the flight after leaving the crease, a rarity. Swann tosses up, the ball doesn't turn and it beats the outside edge, Prior making no mistake in dislodging the bails. Out for the first time in the series. Wicket maiden for Swann, last man Ojha walks in.

A chancy innings comes to an end, but Harbhajan has added crucial runs for India. More importantly, his fours and six helped let off some of the steam. India's No. 8 and 9 batsmen have together scored almost 100-odd runs, and the wagging tail may well end up being the difference in this Test. Swann becomes the 16th spinner, and only the second after Derek Underwood, to reach the 200-wicket mark. That's quite an achievement.

Wicket: Harbhajan lbw b Swann 21

Over 112: India 315/8; Pujara 134, Zaheer 0End of Harbhajan. Goes out plumb in front, and Swann has got his first success of the day. After constant appealing, finally manages to get a positive response from the umpire. Bowls a flat and quicker delivery that doesn;t turn and harbhajan, looking to play across, just gets his pad in front of off. That's wicket number 200 for Swann. Zaheer Khan walks out.

Over 111: India 314/7; Pujara 133, Harbhajan 21And India cross the 300 mark, with a four by Harbhajan off Monty, wide of the gully off a thick outside edge. Follows it up with the first six of the innings, swinging a length ball over long-on. That's a crucial over for India.

Pujara is taking his own sweet time to play out. This is a typical Test innings from the times gone by, where batting through is more important than getting a flurry of fours and sixes. The first hour's play is over and it has been an even battle, one wicket, 25 runs and a dropped catch. India inc closer to the 300 mark, and it might just be enough, given the bounce and turn in the pitch and three specialist and very good spinners waiting to bowl.

Over 105: India 292/7; Pujara 127, Harbhajan 5Thats a drop, and it's Trott. Again. Harbhajan pushes at one on the off from Panesar, it takes a soft outside edge and goes to the left of Trott at first slip but Trott's too slow, can't gets a finger to it, the ball goes to the ropes. England's fielding hasn't really been up to the mark in this series, barring yesterday, when they were throwing themselves at everything.

Swann comes on, about time, and it's spin from either end now. Harbhajan is not the most exquisite batsman but he is a dangerous hitter, and England would not want him hanging around for long.

Over 99: India 280/7; Pujara 120, Harbhajan Singh 0Success! Monty Panesar completes his fiver, and this partnership, threatening to grow into something special for India, has been broken. An appeal for lbw on the seocnd ball of the over was turned down, but he got his man off the fourth, with smart bowling. He has been trying variations to trouble Ashwin for some time now, and this time gets one in quicker, hits him pad first as Ashwin looks to cut. Plumb, in front of off. Harbhajan Singh comes in, in his 99th Test.

The early period has been one of wait and watch by the Indian batsmen. No heaves, no risky shots, no attempts to sneak non-existent singles. Pujara and Ashwin have, between them, scored 7 runs in the first five overs today, and other than the huge shout for leg-before off the first ball from Jimmy Anderson, it has been an uneventful beginning. That's how Test cricket has traditionally been played in the first hour of the day, though Indians can be excused for not believing this, since the advent of a certain Mr. Sehwag.

Over 95: India 273/6; Pujara 116, Ashwin 65

Over 92: India 269/6; Pujara 115, Ashwin 62James Anderson will bowl the second over form the other end, no doubt Cook wants to exploit the swing available early on. And he almost repeated his Day One success, a huge shout goes up for Pujara. Length ball pitches on off, Pujara plays across the line and is hit on the inside of the pad. Umpire Aleem Dar signals not out, replays remain inconclusive. This would be the second close call survived by Pujara in this innings. Ashwin plays out the rest of the over.

Over 91: India 267/6; Pujara 114, Ashwin 61Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin walk out, hoping to carry on from where they left off on Day One. Panesar continues his own shining form, opening the bowling on day Two. He continues to toss it up, fuller deliveries at a quickish pace, and the Indians do well to defend it well.

With the pitch still assisting the bowlers, England would be looking to get the rest of the Indian batting early in the first session on Day Two. On the other hand, the Indian bowlers would only be too keen to come out and have a go at the Englishmen.

The first day ended as an even contest between bat and ball, the former of Pujara and the latter of Monty. England looked to be taking control here despite losing the toss after Monty Panesar took four wickets either side of lunch to reduce India to 169 for 6 but the unbeaten seventh-wicket 97 run partnership, between Pujara and Ashwin, managed to give the momentum back to the hosts, even if very slightly. Once again Pujara's patience, discipline, control, concentration and stroke-making were on show, in conditions far more testing.

India Today brings you live coverage of the second Test between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.